SHOCKING Big Ten Football Roster Talent Rankings

so this is this is one that I don't really have an agenda for I just think it's really interesting this is something that I do every year and this is last episode I was talking about the top 25 and how I feel like um I I personally feel like Washington is kind of getting screwed and so this is where my thought process comes in uh I don't want to just talk about Washington but I want to talk about some of the other teams too like you look at a team like Washington all right they have 40% returning production that ranks 126 in the nation however they have a portal class of eth now portal classes can be deceiving because you can get a lot of players in there it brings your portal class up but still like a lot of players are coming to Washington after they lost a lot of players a team like Michigan has six 36% uh returning production 130th and only the 80th rank portal class so you're telling me that Michigan you know according to Joe clatt last week is eighth in the nation with a 36% returning production in 80th portal class but Washington who has a higher returning production and a 10 times higher portal class they like they just don't have anything I get Michigan has a few first round picks on their team will Johnson Kenneth Grant Mason Graham Coulson levelin don't get me wrong those guys are there but still like who's going to be around those guys I'm not saying that Michigan doesn't deserve to be in the top 10 I'm just saying if Michigan is up there Washington should at least be in the top 25 that's my observation from this list Travis what were some of your thoughts from uh looking at these returning production and portal ranking numbers yeah so I mean just off of your point I would say that Washington has some plug-and-play guys in there so that just you know furthers your argument even more given that Michigan you know you mentioned a couple guys but they you know we really don't know um when I was looking at the portal list I would say it was kind of not necessarily shocking but surprising that basically was going through it and it seemed like almost like there was a big 10 team like every five like every group of five teams had a big 10 team basically I mean some of them you know you get further down the list it was a little bit off but I mean I didn't realize before I looked at that that there were so many highly rated transfer portal classes in there um but some of them like Michigan State obviously needed it I mean there was just plenty of roster holes I mean until last week I think we had like maybe two or three uh two or three scholarship defensive line defensive tackles on our roster So that obviously wasn't going to work we got a couple commitments during that time um and I mean it's just Oregon was another team that benefited I mean obviously big time on here you can see it second but um you know they end up with Evan Stewart coming in there Jabar mamed Dylan Gabriel uh even Dante Morris they're they double dipping that quarterback their you know we mentioned Indiana earlier with a couple of their uh their James Madison guys and with um well I'd say their transfer portal I think is important with their their quarterback situation with getting a Curtis work uh veteran guy from Ohio even though it just a Max school you know who knows what role he's going to play there if he wins the starting job whatever but you know that kind of thing is good for their program um and then you know I I think Russ can speak a little more to this but Purdue had a lot of guys coming in uh I mean they had a lot of guys going out too but they had a lot of guys coming in uh and you know to his point earlier with the Georgia uh Georgia connection that should help them a lot I would think it's just uh um I noticed that like with their passing game their receivers had kind of you know not really necessarily a mass Exodus but it was a big part of uh big contributors from their team had left in that position um and then just building off that uh receiver thing in the transfer portal I think it was a big get for Penn State to get uh uh Fleming from Ohio State in the portal I mean he's I don't know what the situation was there with him but uh Penn State's offense really needed somebody like that last year so he should definitely especially after losing uh Lambert Smith this year yeah yeah definitely definitely um and then you know just looking at the the returning rate that everybody has a high return rate right now except for Michigan and Washington which is crazy I don't think I've ever seen it like that I mean I haven't paid that much attention to it but I don't think I've ever seen it like that yeah no I uh I think I think at the end of the day like you see a few teams on here that the high returning rate matches the high portal ranking uh Oregon obviously leads this list top 25 and returning production and then second in the portal rankings so that's really good for them Nebraska 20th in returning production 59th in Portal rankings you know portal rankings are a little bit difficult to to see uh how well they can do at times because you don't know if people are just bringing in depth if they're bringing in starters but still like that's good good for them uh teams that you know just really didn't attack the portal you can see they had a they had a pretty good returning production other than Northwestern pretty concerned about Northwestern I iust David Brawn don't get me wrong I don't know how you can't after this last year but uh to only have 59% returning production you didn't have a single guy go to the NFL and only 120th and portal rankings like I don't know it just it seems like a little bit of a concern and then uh one last thing before we kick it to Russ because I know Sean is in here in the in the chat Ruckers is definitely going to surprise took a decade to get the o line and dline to Big 10 standard but a ton of people are sleeping on them this year I agree I think we talked talked about it uh when we had Larry on I think that Ruckers you know eight nine wins is a very real possibility for Ruckers This Year with the way their schedule is playing out and then you think about the returning production rating to 72nd they don't have their quarterback coming back and if you ask Ruckers fans they improve their quarterback situation I don't know if you ask Minnesota fans that if they agree but but that's what Ruckers fans say so at the end of the day like you know in in uh Kirk saraka like he got his quarterback the that he had at Minnesota and Athan cak Manis and he had his best games when he was under him so we'll see if Greg shano and his guys can capitalize on that but Kyle manungi leading rusher in the Big 10 last year coming back uh a good offensive line with a good uh good amount of guys there coming back so we'll see what happens Russ what are your thoughts yeah that's um you know Travis started touching on on one of the groups but two of the big groups that Purdue tried to get in the portal they did a decent job of getting bodies at offensive line and wide receiver because we did have um you know a mass exit especially at the wide receiver position and then at um at offensive line we just were not healthy we could not stay healthy and we went and got some big big body dudes at offensive line to try to help protect hson card because you know you look at the Illinois Minnesota games last year and those were encouraging as a Purdue fan going in this year because those were examples of of what can happen if everything goes right is it true Russ that Ryan Walters he told the nil to go pay more offensive lineman than receivers and that's why the receivers kind of started heading out that's what I heard I don't know if that's true though I I'm not sure I just I do know that um you know if if you're an outsider you're you're kind of a casual proof fan wondering why there was such a mass Exodus this year you got to keep in mind that Walters was hired really late going into last season um he he you know this is really his first roster transition this year like he had guys that you know they were kind of waiting to see who Purdue was going to hire what was going to happen and then they I think they kind of got stuck and he kind of cryptically said that some of his coaches shows that you're going to be surprised by some of the guys that transfer out but we want guys that are a good fit for our program and what we're going to do here and it was surprising seeing guys like um Deon Burks leave it was our leading receiver and um you know seeing Nick scorton who led the big tenant sa so yeah so uh but we got some some really good bodies in the portal and we I think one thing that they could add the context to this list is you know what's your quarterback situation are you returning a quarterback and what was his production like in the Big 10 because you know you you talked to Eric over the H Ohi podcast with you there Jr and and there's some nervousness I think amongst these fan bases every time you get a transfer quarterback it does not always work out you know you get some tan Mor in there and is Will Howard is you know gonna work out for high State Will Rogers Dylan Gabriel like all those guys are they really gonna hit because that's that's the biggest key right that's the most important position in football as your quarterback and you could have a lot of returning production you could stack up running back back and receiver but if you don't have a guy that can throw the ball in in this day and age in in the college football it's not going to matter really what your returning production and what your portal ranking is yeah no I agree um I mean I think you ask any Ohio State fan and you you ask him honestly and they give you an honest answer like the quarterback position is something that Ohio State fans are definitely uh definitely concerned about and I think it helps that you brought Chip Kelly in who is known for doing a better job of running the ball and you have the tandem Duo of Judkins and um and uh why am I blanking on his name Henderson uh I love that guy I don't know why I blanking his name but um Trevon Henderson and quinan Judkins like that's a that's a huge addition to get that you know duo in the backfield but you did lose D Hayden and Ohio State has struggled to keep their running backs healthy so you lose your third guy who would have been you know really really good and now you're relying on a freshman uh two true freshman to be your three and four in the running back room so I don't know we'll see what happens I just I hope that I hope that Chip Kelly uses uh Howard as the battering ram quarterback that he needs to use him as you know not that I don't trust will Howard as a thrower I think you know I think the he would have been you know benched at Kansas state is being used a little bit too much I talked to the guys over at cocaine Willie and that's not exactly the situation from the way they tell it maybe they're just being nice to me but that's not exactly the way it was going but uh you know I think that will Howard is a very capable quarterback and um we we'll see if capable can win a national champ Championship capable can win you 10 11 games but you know that's not what Ohio State fans wants to see they uh they want to see national championships so ask Kyle McCord if 11 games is enough um some other teams on here that I want to highlight and uh get you guys' thoughts on really fast uh Illinois 60th in returning production 51st and portal rankings it's kind of middle of the pack there with both of them are we expecting a backslide from Illinois this year Terence Brooks is coming in so that does help the secondary there a little bit after losing some guys but Luke alme coming back uh do we are we buying anything better for Illinois this year or we thinking maybe a backslide from what it was last year yeah I'm thinking that they're gonna not be happy I I think you know I as much as I talked about Matt Ru being an experienced coach and he couldn't finish last year you know belma is a very experienced coach and they did not get a bowl game last year and and they got I mean as much as there a especially online rival between you know before the basketball stuff happened with Illinois and Purdue there was a bit of a back and forth on on Twitter and on X between the football programs because obviously we got their defensive coordinator as our head coach and so there was this back and forth and then what happened when we played Illinois we beat the pants off of him so and then again this off season we're stealing guys from him right we got Reggie love to add to Devon moabe to have a pretty decent rushing attack this year so you know I I think Illinois yeah I think this this could be possibly the last year for belma and they they're looking elsewhere to try to find a new younger upand cominging coach wow wow especially after coming off that 2022 season which was really really good they almost won the Big 10 West that year yeah that's crazy to think about Travis you have any thoughts on Illinois uh just I I would say that I think they're probably at status quo with what they did last year it's going to be about the about the same I have no expectations of them you know getting Better or Worse honestly but yeah uh two more teams I want to point out and then we'll get out of here unless the commenters say anything that I want to address uh Wisconsin 30th in returning production 24th in Portal rankings they lost their quarterback Tyler Van Dyke coming in uh I think it's impressive whenever you're up you know around top 30 top 40 and you lose your starting quarterback just because you lose so much production uh by losing that so I mean Tyler Van Dyke coming in you lost your quarterback you still have and brillan Allen leaving which you know he was injured last year so that would make sense why uh the returning production isn't lower but still I mean Wisconsin 30th 24th Travis you uh you feeling any better about Luke F's chances this year seeing these numbers so like I like I said earlier I think they're a team that could be better than they were last year but it won't reflect in their final record because of what they have to go up up against I think adding a arm like Tyler van djk to that offense to run that offense and you know be NFL caliber quarterback like some people think he is um helps the offense that fickle wants to run uh much more than than what he was working with with morai last year um now the running game out outside of brayan Allen is another question there but you know he the offense last year wasn't what he wanted it to be especially in some really key games and they need to take steps on the offensive end if that he wants to continue building that up and and actually improving the team yeah um the offense last year definitely hurt him in a few areas um with uh you know they they they would have won that Ohio State game if they would have just had the offense step up but of course they had locky and uh was that the game Acres was in I think they had their second string quarterback and third string running back uh so kind of Ohio State kind of got a break there because Kyle mcord wasn't having the best game I think he got injured that game too but Russ any thoughts on Wisconsin yeah you kind of talked about a little bit like I said that the context of this chart it looks like it's pretty much running back and wide rece like rushing and receiving yards production-wise not nothing to do with the quarterback and so the quarterback situation got out a lot of context to what these rankings could really mean moving forward and you know we talked about on the basketball side of things football's similar you know you play the transfer Portal game and it can work and you can hit but it's also like you're just turning a half your- handed poker and you're going hope it works and sure it will sometimes it'll hit and you'll you know you'll have a great season but it could also turn into another repeat of Tanner morai last year and you're looking at maybe on the brink of missing W game yeah and Tanner morgy morai being hurt last year definitely uh definitely hurt them at times and uh having I always forget if it's lock or locky uh and he wasn't bad he just he wasn't a different maker that quarterback for you which yeah and chy was he was a serviceable running back last year he had some he had some good performances I think I think they're running back their running situation is is less of a question mark than what van dijk's going to do coming in yeah uh last one most polarizing team I think in the Big 10 you ask some people and it's like nope they got to prove it this team stinks and then you ask their fans and they're like we're going to the playoffs top four seed coming at you uh USC Lincoln Riley I saw Bud Elliott had him 30th on his coaching rankings I I have no Lincoln Riley Defender but the guy did go to the playoffs multiple times and did bring USC back from like what five and seven to like a double digit win season or something like that so I get last year was bad but I'm not like I said I'm no linkoln riy Defender but still like 30th is pretty low um but they do have 76 returning production which isn't great but 19th portal class Miller Moss through six touchdowns against Louisville so the hype is definitely there for him Travis are you in the boat of USC is going to be just fine USC is going to playoffs or are you uh kind of like USC uhuh don't worry about them defense thinks um more the second but not really either it's like I don't think they're going to the playoff but I don't think it's as bad as they as some people think it is um I think there there's stuff to work with there um but I think one of the things that they're going to have to get used to is the the travel in the middle of the Season obviously but also the the landscape of a new conference and the difficulty like for being honest in the Pack 12 there weren't a lot of defenses that they were playing that they're going to face in the Big 10 that's just a reality so they're they're kind of working with some new pieces over there but I think they'll they'll be okay eventually just I don't know like obviously for them it's always playoff or bust I don't think they're good enough to that yet but I think they'll they'll be fine at least fine at least yeah I mean I love that prediction there's there's there's I mean I don't know there's there's not a better way to put it unfortunately yeah no I that was a funny fun uh way to put it so I like that Russ your thoughts on USC yeah I mean you you said it first there it's a lot about what have you done for me lately that's what college football is now anymore you know and college sports as a whole because you know what I said about belma like it's no indictment on him as a CO coach belma Matt rule they're they're great head coaches but you know they have short leashes because everybody wants to be successful right now and with the transfer pool in nil it's possible to do that and so you know you come into the season with a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and these expectations of going the playoff and you go seven and five you know that it's yeah you have another middling year and people are ready to pull the string because you know there's not all the programs in the Big 10 are not this way like I said Northwestern like in Indiana you know even a Purdue they're happy go to bowl game and you're you're successful but you know the USC's the you know nebraskasc you know so USC I think is in that category and you know I'm not saying they're wrong for that they've had a lot of storied um performances but you know it it's like like Travis said the Big 10 defense is not the Pack 12 defense it's a different game you got to adapt even coming from the Big 12 Nebraska was very successful and they they did have some carryover and some good early years but you know it's you got to build build your your program and your team definitely and then recruiting when you're playing in the Big 10 it it could be a little more difficult you know like come play USC where we could go play at Michigan and Minnesota and Ruckers you know like it's quite the pitch yeah yeah no I agree I agree uh this is the uh Sean's question here anyone else think the Pack 12 teams will struggle to adjust I'm thinking the o line dline for those teams will get beat up playing full Big 10 schedule Louisville was gutted in the bug gream in the bowl game so hard to USC yeah we talked about this and we had our very first like is Oregon uh going to be good in the Big 10 video and Oregon fans were immediately upset because I had three Nebraska guys on and you know they they were all like anybody come to the big 10's gonna have a hard time which you know you would understand from their from their experience but um I think Oregon's the best set up with the o line and the dline especially with who they've been able to grab in the portal I mean Travis you know than anybody the uh the addition of Derrik Haron is a very good one for them so that's that's a big loss for us yeah yeah like I don't even think he's like their number one guy like I think he might be two or three behind uh I can't remember the guy's name but there's another guy in there uh Alexander be Alexander I think oh yeah yeah yeah the Georgia guy the portal like twice but now he's back or something like that but um but yeah I think that they're going to be set up pretty well on the uh on the uh no be be Alexander us he's UFC he yeah yeah Oregon's guy I can't remember who he is but uh but yeah I I think or Oregon's set up well on the dline I don't know about USC simply because of the depth Barry Alexander is good but I question who they have behind him uh and then UCLA I just think it's gonna take him a year or two after deshun Foster got in there and uh and Washington we'll see I don't know they're just complete question mark for me yeah organ schedule's set up nice I'm happy I mean if I'm organ I'm happy because you get Ohio State at home pretty early on and you know Michigan like we talked about the question marks they could have so you travel to Michigan may not be as daunting as what it seems right now once you get six weeks into the season so you know yeah organ I think set up to succeed pretty well early in the Big 10 I agree I agree